The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-11-23
THE VAN ZANDTs.
The Head of the Family Says His Daughter
and Wife Have Been Misrepresented.


and Wife Have Been Misrepreseuted.
Interview in Chicago Tribune.
My daughter loved August Spies. The fact
was demonstrated to me beyond question, as
was also the further fact that she had her moth
ers support and sanction in her attachment
The question then arose as to how could best
retain my parental influence upon my misguided
daughter. I knew that to oppose her siren
uousiy would be to drive her from the
house and to loose entirely my influences
over her. debated and argued with her and
her mother at first. but saw it did good,
and decided TO do nothing. and say nothing, and
act as best could in the trying position IN
which was paced. Later on I saw that in the
event of the sentence being carried out my home
would become desolate through the grief of my
daughter and my wife, and joined to some ex-
tent in the efforts TO save Spies from the gal
lows. 1t was not because had any sympathy
with his course of action. but to save him per-
sonally, and in doing aveyt from my child the
great and overwhelming grief that threatened
her. parent with the natural prcmptings of
affection could do no less.
SO much for myself; now as to my daugh-
ter. As if the state of affairs, truthfuliy told.
was not bad enough, the widest reports have
been circulated by word of mouth and by the
press both before and after the execution
corning her. 1t has been said that she had be-
come violently insane, that she dying, that
she bad attempted to commit suicide and was
still bent on self-destructiou, and hardly know
what has not been said at time another.
The latest sensational lie, made up nearly
if not wholly from imagination, printed
Monday in the Herald, where what pur
ports to be an interview with my wife
and daughter Is printed at length. The sheet
has distinguished Itself all through by it's lies.
made up ont of whole CLOTH but this last is in
famous beyond expression. The scoundrei who
wrote it gained access to the house under false
pretenses. Giving hint whatever that he
was a reporter, he was admitted TO the house
upon his representation that he called in the in
terest Of q movement to abolish capital punish
ment. Once inside, he told how he hated the
eallows, and how he had shed tears of bitter
grief over the execution of Spies and his COM
nap 1hor ho1 S,,ct
visit to the cemetery, and were wrought up and
excited, and the sneak worked upon their
feelings until he got them to talking with
out reserve. As il that were not enough
he has grossly exaggerated, upon the word of
both my daughter and my wife, those parts
which had any foundation in fact and lied ont
of his own imagination as to the greater part of
what was published. l know that a reporter
must make his work interesting and spicy not
to say sensatonal-that is his business-but I
submit that such malicious and wholesale lying
is done for the sake of sensation. don't care
to talk on the subject of nv daughters condi-
ton, but will say that she is not contemplating
suicide. and is not starving herself to death.
The girl is in pitiable state of exhaustion,
brought on by tho terrible strain of the events
of the last year and a half and the suspense and
grief of the last few weeks. She is a woman,
and what is moro natural than that such
experience hers should PROSTATE
Ter physically and mentaya What she Graves
most is rest. absolute rest, and she has hut once
been outside of her darkened room since the
funeral. The single exception upon the
cas1oD of a visit she made with her mother to the
cemetery Friday. Itswas foolish thing to do,
but the girl had dreamed the night before that
Spies alive in his coffin, and in her excited
state of mind nothing would do but that she
must his body again with her own eyes.
This is the truth about her condition: Well
meaning people have advised me send her to an
insane asylum; but she is sane you l.
She is utterly FRUSTRATED by her grief and it
will take time and rest to make her herself
again. sos
''But the righteousness of that scoundre1 in
making it Appear that my daughter cries night
and day for vengeance and demands blood for
blood and life for life. Anybody who knows her
knows that it ia her tenderness of hesrt and pity
for suffering of all kinds that led her into this
trouble. Such feelings are foreign to her nature,
and both she and her mother much
shocked as I to such sentiments attributed
to her. In fact. the appearance of the article
the first intimation they had
that they had been talking in
a reporters presence. Instead of crying for
blood and vengeance. I don't believe that the
girl at bottom has any sympathy at all with
the doctrines taught by Spies and his compaH-
ions. She has been associated with them long
and been so wrought up over the state OF affairs
that she has caught their jargon and talks it in
spite of herself. She says she is asn24sir,
because Spies one. / suppose; but whef she
comes to herself all that will vanish like a bad
dream. But her heart is still the same gentle,
plying heart. and it is infamous put cries for
blood and vengeance in her mouth"